The physical toll of the fight was obvious. Lopez appeared marked up and emotionally exposed as he spoke, and there was no try and mask how deeply the loss affected him. This was not a fighter deflecting blame or rushing toward the following chapter. He lingered on the frustration, repeating variations of the identical thought, and the tone never shifted toward reassurance.
“For me, it’s healing this cut and getting back to the drafting board. See if I move up and see what we do next,” Teofimo Lopez said while addressing reporters after the fight. When asked whether he could take positives from the performance, his response was immediate and raw. “No, in no way. I hate myself for it. It’s a part of life. I don’t appreciate it. I feel I get butchered. I’m only a punching bag to that.”
That admission stood other than the same old post-fight language. Fighters often discuss disappointment or frustration, but Lopez went further, turning the criticism inward without hesitation. There was no try and soften the wording or redirect the main target. He sat with it, letting the discomfort linger slightly than rushing past it.
The concept of moving up in weight surfaced again only loosely, without detail or urgency. Lopez has already looked less explosive since leaving 135 in 2021, and one other move upward sounded less like ambition than distance. It was discussed as something to contemplate, not something he believed in, and it did little to regular the tone of the moment.
“I just never got my fair proportion,” Lopez continued. “We’ll be back ultimately, some form. I didn’t fight too hard, and I got the choice that we got. I pray that you just all support me after this.” It didn’t sound like a fighter outlining his next move. It gave the impression of someone grappling with a version of himself he didn’t recognize and was not able to forgive yet.
